Nathan Redmond has revealed a summer pep talk from England boss Gareth Southgate helped him overcome his penalty heartache.
The Southampton forward missed the crucial spot kick in England Under 21s’ Euro 2017 semi-final shoot-out defeat to Germany in June.
It was his last touch for the Young Lions as he became too old to represent Aidy Boothroyd’s side and he left Tychy in tears.
England went out 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time but senior boss Southgate, who missed his own crucial semi-final spot kick when England lost to Germany at Euro 96, has offered Redmond words of wisdom.
Speaking for the first time about the miss Redmond said: 'He called me to see how I was doing. The England penalty miss was one of the biggest things to happen to him, he’s told us about death threats and not being able to go out.
'He reiterated all of that to me and told me to relax and that it was more important for me to work hard to get into the senior side than it would be to dwell on it. The only person to pay for it would be me.
'It’s a massive learning period in my life. At the time I wanted the ground to swallow me up but I had to face everything which came with it.
'I’m the person who has to look in the mirror and be happy. It’s part of my past and the one thing which hit me the most was it was the last time playing for the England youth set-up.
‘It’s a transition period now going from a young player to a fully established Premier League player.’
He is now aiming to regain his place back in the senior squad after being left out by Southgate since making his debut against Germany in March.
‘It’s always been the aim for a few seasons,’ said the 23-year-old. ‘I managed to do it March and it gave me a bit more motivation to come back. If I put my performances right with Southampton I’ll be back.’
Redmond was speaking after becoming an ambassador for children’s charity Right To Play which uses sport and play to educate and help children in some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities.
The former Norwich and Birmingham man is also donating to the charity and wants to spread the word of their good work.
‘Football has played a massive part in my life and while I wasn’t fortunate enough to have both parents around I had a very strong mother who has always supported me,’ he said.
‘I’m with the message Right To Play are putting forward which is to give disadvantaged kids over the world the chance to get involved in sport and to get an education. I want to push that message out there.’
Southampton have teamed up with club partner Under Armour to run a special Power In Pink competition as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Under Armour’s Power In Pink initiative is designed to help raise awareness around breast cancer and also aid in the fight against the disease.
The company has donated $10m to charity as part of the campaign and has produced a limited edition range of pink boots.
Southampton keeper Fraser Forster is supporting the initiative by wearing his own pair, as well as pink gloves, during October, and we have a signed pair of his boots to give away.
To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is fill out the form below.
Please note that the closing date is 5pm on Tuesday 24th October.
For a full list of terms and conditions, please click here.
Played behind closed doors at Staplewood, an Armani Little hat-trick set Saints on their way to a 6-0 victory in the second round of the competition which celebrates its centenary this year.
A strong Saints XI dominated proceedings keeping possession throughout and running a dogged but overworked away defence into the ground. A steady supply of goals in either half was their reward.
A commanding opening to the game set the tone for the hosts as a Dan N’Lundulu strike and a Little double – both sidefooted into the net from the edge of the box - put the home side 3-0 up inside 20 minutes.
The midfielder completed his hat-trick on the half-hour mark, skidding a low free-kick inside the far post from the left touchline to put Saints four up at the interval.
The home side picked up where they left off in the second period as BTC legs began to tire and Southampton’s superior fitness and collective quality came to the fore.
Tyreke Johnson might have twice extending the advantage inside the hour, poking wide of goal when played through by Harlem Hale before his curling shot was expertly saved by visiting goalkeeper George Taylor.
The young wideman would not be denied a third time however, following up his fine individual effort against Newcastle in the PL2 last night with a coolly taken left-footed volley on 71 minutes.
Taylor made further saves to keep out efforts from Little and Hale only for substitute Will Ferry to add a late sixth seconds from the final whistle.
BTC Southampton were beaten but by no means disgraced on their big night at Staplewood against a strong Saints U23s side.
Saints scored twice in the first five minutes before the masked Armani Little added two more before the interval as they booked their place in Saturday’s Southampton Senior Cup third-round draw.
The France-born former England U16 international headed in Tyreke Johnson’s cross at the near post after his first effort had been parried by BTC goalkeeper George Taylor.
The tie was effectively settled two minutes later, when midfielder Tom O’Connor’s deflected strike from the edge of the area went in off the left-hand upright.
As BTC settled, number ten Ryan Wilkins enjoyed a good run deep inside the Saints half before Little slotted in the third in the 17th minute from N’Lundulu’s pull back.
It would have been more than six had it not been for Taylor, who made several good saves, including one from right-back Richard Bakary in the first half.
When Johnson was brought down in unceremonious fashion, Little curled a free-kick, a cross-cum-shot, into the far corner.
BTC’s Lewis Frost had a couple of long-range efforts comfortably saved by Saints goalkeeper Adam Parkes before the Southampton Football League outfit, most of whom were playing in Junior Two last season, continued to do themselves proud in the second half.
Saints missed several chances, while Taylor continued to have an excellent night in the BTC goal.
He produced the save of the night from Johnson, diving full stretch to his right to tip behind when the winger turned and fired powerfully from 20 yards.
He also did well to deny Little and Hale with his legs.
Johnson fired in the fifth in the 73rd minute and after BTC’s Ryan Lowbridge had a good strike blocked in the area, substitute Will Ferry scored the sixth with the last kick of the match.
Saints U23s: Adam Parkes, Richard Bakary, Ollie Cook, Aaron O’Driscoll, Will Wood (Jake Vokins 76), Tom O’Connor (Harry Hamblin 67), Armani Little, Harlem Hale, Tyreke Johnson, Dan N’Lundulu (Will Ferry 45). Unused subs: Alex Cull (GK), Christoph Klarer Booked: Ferry.
JAY Rodriguez will be hoping to show what Saints are missing out on when he returns to St Mary’s for the first time since his summer move to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
The 28-year-old striker has recently been tipped for a recall to the England squad for the first time since his 2013 call-up while with Saints, and will be keen to demonstrate that he has moved on since his frustrating end to life on the south coast.
Rodriguez was a fans’ favourite at St Mary’s - and remains a popular figure even after his exit.
But after a magnificent 17-goal campaign in 2013/14 ended in a serious knee injury he never truly rediscovered his best form at Saints.
His progress was seriously hampered by injuries and made a £12m switch to The Hawthorns in July to give himself a fresh start at a new club.
The former Burnley man has had limited success with the Baggies, who visit St Mary’s on Saturday in the Premier League, scoring two goals in ten appearances in all competitions.
The versatile attacker has mainly been deployed out wide by Albion boss Tony Pulis and had a limited impact for the Birmingham outfit as they drew 1-1 at Leicester City on Monday night in the Premier League.
With Rodriguez now a regular starter for West Brom, it has attracted the attentions of England manager Gareth Southgate, who went to watch the stalemate at the King Power Stadium.
It is reported that Southgate has been attracted to Rodriguez because of his ability to play in all forward areas, as the Three Lions prepare to face Germany and Brazil in friendlies next month.
He ended his Saints spell as a frustrated figure, playing mainly as a striker under Claude Puel.
There were flashes of his brilliance - his brace at AFC Bournemouth back in December was a throwback to Rodriguez’s glory days under Mauricio Pochettino.
However, it was always likely he’d want to depart for pastures new in the transfer window, having come close to going to West Brom in the summer of 2016 and in January this year.
He will now come back to St Mary’s - where he spent five years, scoring 32 goals in 126 appearances, and is sure to get a warm welcome from Saints supporters, who backed him through his up and down time at the club.
The Saints faithful will, however, hope that Rodriguez, who has three goals in eight games against former clubs, won’t find form at his former stomping ground.
So far this term J-Rod has struck one Premier League goal, in a 1-1 draw against Stoke, having also got a goal in the League Cup against Accrington Stanley.
But that strike against the Potters was back in August and Rodriguez, who has no assists this term, has embarked on a run of six successive games without a goal in all competitions.